September 8 is the Date: Colorado State and Colorado Ag Commodities Growers Present 20th Annual Ag Day with Food, Football and Fun

Come hungry, come with food for the hungry and plan on having a good time at Ag Day 2001 Sept. 8.

The annual celebration of farming, ranching and the resulting commodities will mark its 20th birthday with a barbeque, agricultural displays, live music, a live radio broadcast and a football game pitting the Colorado State University Rams against the WolfPack of the University of Nevada, televised by Sportswest on Denver’s KTVD-TV beginning at 3 p.m.

Festivities will be held in the parking area south of Hughes Stadium on Overland Trail between Drake Road and Prospect Street in Fort Collins.

Food service for ticket holders begins at 12:30 p.m. and continues until 2:15 p.m. Music and beverage sales will continue until about 2:45 p.m.

Participants are urged to bring a can of food to donate to the kick-off event for Cans Around the Oval, a community-university food drive that culminates in October. Last year, more than 21 tons of food were collected for the Food Bank for Larimer County. Donors will receive a raffle ticket for a dinner for two at Bisetti’s in Fort Collins.

Commentary, interviews and music will be broadcast live this year by Clear Channel Radio of Northern Colorado. "The BEAR" (107.9 FM) will broadcast on location from the Ag Day site south of Hughes Stadium. The broadcast will include a classic rock concert, the kickoff for the Ram Jam 2001 Ultimate Tailgate Concert Series that will feature live music beginning two hours before each Rams home game. The series is sponsored by The BEAR, KISS-FM (96.1 FM) and KIIX Sports Radio, AM 1410 and KCOL (AM 600).

The Rams vs. WolfPack game will air on KIIX.

Agriculture is Colorado’s second-biggest industry, and Ag Day 2001, like its predecessors, is not only entertainment but a salute to the farmers, ranchers and agriculture-related businesses of the state. The event is presented jointly by Colorado agricultural organizations and Colorado State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.

The Ag Day barbecue will offer apples, beans, beef, beer, cheese, ice cream, lamb, melons, milk, pork, potatoes, soft drinks, sugar, sweet corn and wheat bread. Attendees can pick up a greenhouse-grown Colorado plant after their meals.

Tickets are sold in advance of the Sept. 8 event and cost $10 per person for the Ag Day barbecue or $25 per person for the barbecue and football game. Tickets may be picked up in Room 127 Shepardson Building or at the Ag Day Will-Call Tent south of Hughes Stadium on Sept. 8. (Aseparate, $5 parking fee is payable at the lot only.)

For credit-card phone orders, call (970) 491-2246. Checks should be made payable to CSU Ag Day 2001. Football tickets may be purchased separately from the Athletic Ticket Office at the regular price by calling (970) 491-RAMS or (800) 491-RAMS.